1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner separating and collecting dust and all kinds of foreign substances (hereinafter called “contaminants”) from a cyclone stream by a centrifugal force of the circulating cyclone stream in the air including contaminants drawn in through a suction brush, and more particularly, to a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner having a two-step contaminant separating structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 for a vacuum cleaner is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner comprises a cyclone body 10 a contaminant collecting receptacle 20 and a grill 30.
The cyclone body 10 comprises an air inlet pipe 11 and an air discharge pipe 12. The air inlet pipe 11 is connected to a side of the cyclone body 10 and the air discharge pipe 12 is connected to the cyclone body 10 on the center of the upper surface. When the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 is disposed within the vacuum cleaner body 200, the air inlet pipe 11 is connected with an air inlet path 210 (shown in phantom) formed in the vacuum cleaner body 200 to provide a connection through a suction brush 300 and the air discharge pipe 12 is connected with an air discharge path 220 (shown in phantom) formed to provide a connection to a motor driving chamber 310 of the vacuum cleaner body 200.
The air, including entrained contaminants drawn in through the suction brush 300 flows into the cyclone body 10 in a direction tangential to the cyclone body 10 passing the air inlet path 210 of the vacuum cleaner body 200 and the air inlet pipe 11. Accordingly, a cyclone stream is formed in the cyclone body 10 and the entrained contaminants included in the cyclone stream are separated by the centrifugal force of the circulating cyclone stream. The cleaned air is discharged to the outside environment through the air discharge pipe 12, the air discharge path 220 of the vacuum cleaner body 200, and the motor driving chamber 310.
The contaminant collecting receptacle 20 is removably connected to the lower part of the cyclone body 10 and collects the contaminants separated from the air by the centrifugal force of the cyclone stream created in the cyclone body 10.
The grill 30 is disposed at the beginning of the air discharge pipe 12 inside the cyclone body 10 and prevents the contaminants separated from the cyclone stream from reversibly flowing through the air discharge pipe 12. The grill 30 preferably comprises a grill body 31 and a plurality of paths 32 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the grill body 31 to provide a fluid communication through the air discharge pipe 12. In addition, the grill 30 comprises a contaminant blocking member 33 disposed below the grill body 31.
The general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus having the structure as described above has the air inlet pipe 11 and the air discharge pipe 12 of the cyclone body 10 disposed at the vacuum cleaner body 200 respectively to be connected with the air inlet path 210 and the air discharge path 220.
When the vacuum cleaner is in operation, suction force is generated in the suction brush 300 as the motor of the motor driving chamber 310 is driven. The air, including entrained, contaminants removed from the surface to be cleaned by the suction force, flow into the cyclone body 10 through the suction brush 300, the air inlet path 210, and the air inlet pipe 11. The air stream is induced by the air inlet pipe 11 to move in an oblique or tangential direction along the inner circumference of the cyclone body 10 so as to form a cyclone stream and accordingly the contaminants entrained in the air are separated by the weight created by the centrifugal force of the air stream and are then collected in the contaminant collecting receptacle 20. The cleaned air is then discharged outside through the paths 32 and the air discharge pipe 12 of the grill 30, the air discharge path 220, and the motor driving chamber 310. During the contaminant separating process, the contaminants raised with air by the cyclone stream rising back up after hitting the bottom of the contaminant collecting receptacle 20 are blocked by the contaminant blocking member 33 and reenter the cyclone stream.
In the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner as described above, collecting the contaminants from the cyclone stream and preventing the contaminants from reversibly flowing are significant factors affecting the dust collecting efficiency of a vacuum cleaner. Although there have been continuous attempts and research toward the goal of efficiently collecting contaminants and preventing a reverse flow action, these attempts and research have reached a structural limit.
Since the general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner has a contaminant collecting portion of the contaminant collecting receptacle 20 that is completely open to the cyclone stream, it is impossible to prevent contaminants from being raised with the air by the cyclone stream rising back up after hitting the bottom of the contaminant collecting receptacle 20. Therefore, a portion of the raised contaminants can easily approach near the paths 32 and it is nearly impossible to prevent the raised contaminants from being discharged outside through the paths 32 with the conventional types of vacuum cleaners.
The general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 having a single contaminant separating structure and grill 30 can hardly expect improvement in the prevention of such ineffective dust collecting process and a contaminant reverse flow action, and therefore what is required is a structural development in which contaminants are effectively collected and are prevented from easily approaching near the paths 32 of the grill 30.